This invention relates generally to battery powered electric toothbrushes, and more specifically concerns a toothbrush which is capable of providing information concerning use of the toothbrush to a separate control unit which in turn can display or analyze the information or transmit it to another device.
Both manual and power toothbrushes operate in various ways to produce a cleansing effect on the teeth of the user. A few toothbrushes attempt to provide specific information to the user concerning operation of the toothbrush during use. In many cases, this information is an indication of desired or actual brushing times. In other cases, information is provided concerning pressure applied by the user on the brush against the teeth, with the pressure being determined in various ways and then displayed or otherwise communicated to the user. However, any information displayed on the toothbrush itself is typically difficult for the user to read and further, in many cases, there is insufficient room for an adequate display of any information. Toothbrushes which supply information to the user, particularly in the form of a display, are thus relatively rare and usually ineffective. Still further, toothbrushes which supply information to persons other than the user, such as for analysis of brushing use, are unknown.
In the past, toothbrushes have not accumulated any information relative to their use/non-use. Further, other information concerning the operating condition of the toothbrush, such as the state of the battery or other structural information has not been available from the toothbrush. Clinical trials of new toothbrush configurations could become much more reliable if such information were available.
Actual usage information could be helpful to the user in maintaining good brushing technique; usage information could also be accumulated and used to monitor patient compliance against established guidelines. Analysis of actual recorded data is typically much more reliable than a patient""s memory relative to brush use.
Hence, it would be desirable for a toothbrush or similar device to have the capability of accumulating actual use and/or operating condition information and then to transmit that information to another device for display and/or analysis.
Accordingly, the present invention is a system for communicating data between an electric toothbrush or other instrument and a separate control unit, comprising: means in the electric toothbrush for collecting and storing data concerning operation of the electric toothbrush; means for transmitting the data to a receiving member in the control unit when the toothbrush is present in the control unit; and means for displaying or analyzing the transmitted data.